Cultivation starts with picking up attributes
Chapter 79: Ch-79: We are so Doomed

Chapter 79: Ch-79: We are so Doomed

The air in the Crimson Hollows had turned thick with tension.

Tian Shen and Lan Yueru traversed the winding trail, the scorched ridges on either side shimmering from lingering flame Qi. Between them walked—or rather, strutted—a tiny fox with crimson fur fluffed out like royalty.

Little Mei’s steps were deliberate. Her tail swayed with exaggerated poise, each flick a declaration of superiority.

Her ears twitched haughtily at every distant rustle, as if daring the world to challenge her dominance.

Lan Yueru walked silently beside Tian Shen, eyeing the little creature on his shoulder with wary suspicion.

"She’s... different now."

Lan Yueru muttered.

"You think that?"

Tian Shen winced as he adjusted the strap on his bag. His back still throbbed from the earlier beating.

"She was already smug before. Now she thinks she’s Empress of the whole world."

"Not thinks," Yueru said dryly. "She believes. And that’s worse."

Little Mei let out a soft kyuuu noise—whether in acknowledgment or agreement, no one could tell.

Tian Shen sighed.

"You’d think saving someone would make them more humble."

Lan Yueru gave him a look.

"You’re not exactly the best example of humility yourself."

"...Tsk."

They continued forward. The deeper they moved into the Crimson Hollows, the stranger the terrain became.

Spires of blackened stone jutted upward like claws, and shallow pools of molten Qi bubbled softly in hidden cracks.

The occasional flicker of a phantom flame spirit danced at the edge of vision, gone the moment one tried to look.

Tian Shen occasionally picked up attribute bubbles left from past conflicts.

『Host gains Death Element ×20.』

『Host gains Spirit points ×50.』

Every bit helped.

But the true issue still gnawed at him.

"Royal bloodline," he muttered.

"What even is that?"

Lan Yueru looked sideways.

"You really don’t know?"

"I incubated her up in my hometown," Tian Shen said. "And that’s it."

Lan Yueru stared at him.

"That’s not how sacred beasts are supposed to be bonded."

Little Mei made a snorting sound and climbed up to perch on Tian Shen’s head.

From there, she surveyed the world like a general planning her next glorious conquest.

"What are you doing?"

He muttered to her.

"Kyuuu~."

’I am helping.’

She chirped in a singsong voice.

They eventually paused near a cracked cliff face where a faded battle standard lay buried in soot.

The spot was safe enough for rest. Tian Shen sat against the warm rock and offered Little Mei a piece of spiritual jerky.

She sniffed it delicately. Then turned her head away. Even if she really wanted to eat that, she had a role to play, the role of an empress.

"Now you’re too noble to eat?"

He asked incredulously.

She didn’t respond. Instead, she padded in a slow circle and lay down beside him with all the grace of a spoiled house cat.

Lan Yueru arched a brow.

"I’m starting to think she’s not some ancient royal. She’s just... spoiled."

Little Mei cracked one eye open, narrowed it, and made a slow huffing sound.

Tian Shen scratched his cheek awkwardly.

"...Honestly? I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s the truth."

They shared a small laugh, the tension loosening between them.

But the fox clan wasn’t done.

...

Far above, hidden atop a scorched ridge, several pairs of silver eyes watched the trio.

Saeri crouched beside a flame spirit formation, her tails flicking in a mixture of awe and disbelief.

They had been observing the three for the better part of an hour, watching Little Mei’s every move through enchanted vision spheres.

"She licked his hand," whispered one of the male fox watchers.

"She just rolled over in the dirt," muttered another.

Saeri narrowed her eyes.

"Hush. Every movement may carry deeper meaning."

"But... she tried to steal his rice bun."

"Sacred beasts may test their bonds in unorthodox ways."

Saeri snapped, but she herself was unsure.

Just then, in the viewing orb, Little Mei began chasing her own tail.

The watching foxes gasped.

"A divine omen?"

"A tail-looping ritual?"

Saeri’s expression was grim.

"She may be invoking the Cycle of Ancestral Flames."

Tian Shen’s voice, distant but audible through the orb, broke the illusion.

"Stop that, you’re making me dizzy."

The fox watchers grew silent.

Saeri pressed her fingers to her temple. Something wasn’t right. Every movement of the so-called Royal Blood Fox was... nonsensical.

Yet her aura was undeniable. Ancient. Deep.

And that’s what disturbed her.

"What if..."

She hesitated.

"She doesn’t know who she is?"

Silence again.

"You think... she’s amnesiac?"

"Or regressed?"

"Or hiding her true self among mortals to better understand them—!"

The ideas tumbled over one another like wildfire. Soon, words like "prophecy," "reincarnated blood sovereign," and "transcendental vessel" started popping up.

Saeri clenched her jaw.

"We’ll do nothing until Elder commands it."

She finally said.

"But if she really is the one..."

She looked again through the orb.

Tian Shen was now holding Little Mei up by her front paws, dangling her and making explosion sounds as she "flew" through the air.

"Whoosh! Mei the Missile!"

"Kyuuuu—!!" came the gleeful response.

Saeri turned away, expression unreadable.

"...We are so doomed."

...

Back at their resting point, Tian Shen lowered Mei gently and exhaled.

"She really wants to but can’t truly act like royalty, huh?"

Lan Yueru sat nearby, sipping a lukewarm spiritual tea.

"Maybe she’s something else entirely. A mistake of fate. A miracle. Or just a fox with... above-average luck."

Little Mei had curled up on Tian Shen’s lap again, her tails coiled like sleeping ribbons.

Tian Shen rubbed her ears gently.

He looked at her curiously.

"Do you understand me truly?"

Her eyes cracked open again. She yawned, exposing tiny fangs, and blinked at him with something between affection and amusement.

Then she sneezed.

A small puff of flame shot from her nose and singed his robes.

"OW!"

Lan Yueru nearly spilled her tea laughing.

Tian Shen groaned and patted out the embers.

"See? Sacred beast, my ass."

Little Mei looked up smugly.

But in the back of his mind, Tian Shen couldn’t shake the lingering worry.

She was strong. Much stronger than her kin should’ve been. Her evolution had happened rapidly after bonding with him.

And now, some idiotic fox clans in the Central Battlefield were beginning to pay attention.

He looked toward the horizon. The cracked sky over the Crimson Hollows pulsed faintly with fire energy.

They were heading deeper. Toward relics, ancient secrets, and now... political interest.

"We’ll figure it out later," he muttered.

Lan Yueru glanced at him. "Figure what out?"

"Her nature."

He looked down at the now peacefully napping Little Mei.

"Whatever she really is... we’ll cross that bridge when it burns."

Lan Yueru didn’t reply immediately. Her eyes lingered on Little Mei’s tiny form, then drifted toward the faint glimmers in the horizon—the Crimson Hollows’ true depths, still veiled in a choking haze of fire energy.

"...You always say that."

She said quietly.

"Hm?"

"We’ll deal with it later. We’ll cross it when it burns. You throw yourself into things without thinking, and somehow, it works out. But this time..."

Her gaze returned to him, calm but serious.

"This time, we’re dealing with ancient beast clans. Maybe even divine bloodlines. The kind of stuff that doesn’t care how many cute noises a fox makes or how many bandits you’ve beaten up."

Tian Shen stared at her, surprised by the rare weight in her tone.

"...You worried about me, Lan Yueru?"

He teased, though his smile faltered under her unflinching gaze.

She didn’t answer with words.

Instead, she reached into her pouch and handed him a small talisman—a protective charm etched with layered formations, crackling faintly with water and wind Qi.

"It’s not much," she murmured. "But it’ll shield you once. Use it if you need to protect her... Or yourself."

He took it slowly, fingers brushing against hers.

The touch lingered.

"...Thanks," he said, softer now.

Lan Yueru shifted her gaze away.

"Don’t get the wrong idea. It’s just that if you die, I’ll have to do the explaining to Feng Yin."

"Kyuu—!"

Little Mei stirred in her sleep, as if protesting the mere suggestion of Tian Shen dying.

He chuckled, tucking the charm into his robe.

Tian Shen leaned back against the warm cliffside, the charm’s faint energy still tingling against his chest.

"Feng Yin, huh?"

He said with a crooked grin.

"You two really bonding without me?"

Lan Yueru rolled her eyes, but a faint smirk tugged at her lips.

"Bonding over how exhausting you are."

He snorted.

Little Mei, still curled on his lap, pawed lazily at his sleeve before settling again, this time with her tail wrapped securely around his wrist—an oddly possessive gesture.

The silence between them stretched, not awkward, but heavy with unsaid things.

Tian Shen’s eyes fell to the horizon once more.

The deeper they went, the stronger the enemies. And not just in strength, but lineage, secrets, agendas.

But here, now, with this sleepy fox and a companion who cared more than she claimed, he felt something unfamiliar.

Not confidence.

Not certainty.

But resolve.

"...I won’t let either of you down," he whispered.